Easter in Buenos Aires
Take a trip to the Holy land
Easter is the perfect excuse for a trip to Tierra Santa – or Holy land – the world’s original religious theme park. A recreation of Jerusalem complete with a Wailing Wall and recreations of scenes from Jesus’s life, the park organizes special activities for Easter weekend. Visitors can take part in hourly reenactments of the Last Supper on Easter Thursday, and, on Good Friday, can even help carry Jesus’ cross in a reenactment of the crucifixion. On weekends and public holidays, the ticket office is open from 12noon until 8pm. Av. Costanera Rafael Obligado 5790. More information here.
Join the Pope Francis Tour
Easter also provides a chance to hit the trail of Argentina’s Pope Francis. Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the pope was previously bishop of Buenos Aires, and even worked briefly as a nightclub bouncer in the city before entering the priesthood. Free tours of his old haunts, including the neighbourhood of Flores where he grew up, leave every Saturday and Sunday, but will also run on Easter Thursday and Good Friday (March 24 and 25) at 9am and 3pm. Tours are in Spanish, but information sheets are available in English. For more details see here. The three-hour tours start and finish at the Basilica of San José de Flores at Rivadavia 6950. Register atcircuitopapal@buenosaires.gob.ar
Contact: (54 11) 5030 9100 Ext. 2134
Eat Fish
The long Easter weekend is opportunity to eat out for many Porteños and restaurants in the city’s many gastro hubs will be packed to the rafters. It’s traditional to eat fish at Easter, so as well as the city’s usual rich gastronomic offering, look out for limited runs of tuna, salmon, cod and seafood empanadas available to take away in the city’s many empanaderías, or book a table at the restaurant in the riverside Club de Pescadores (fishermen’s club). Also, keep your eyes open in supermarkets and bakeries for rosca de pascua, a type of crown-shaped cake topped with glacé cherries and custardy cream.
Visit the Metropolitan Cathedral
Located in the historic Plaza de Mayo, the cathedral is the Catholic church’s most important site in Argentina. On Good Friday, the Buenos Aires Via Crucis, a candlelit procession reenacting the stages of the cross, sets off from the Plaza Lorea near the Congress building at 8.30pm and makes its way along Avenida de Mayo accompanied by a choir, finally arriving at the Cathedral at 10pm. More information.
